2018 Audi A8

“The new A8 gave both S-Class and 7-Series a massively strong feat to follow,” said Issam.

Driver and passenger will get a feeling of delight in the cabin.”

“In both cases of flat roads and through curves and potholes, the A8 stays remarkably flat and stable!”

Autonomous driving has been the constant expression nowadays in the automotive industry. Car manufacturers are running in a race to claim the first pole position. We drove both the S-Class and 7-Series, and now the all-new 2018 Audi A8 has finally landed. Audi claims it is the most technologically advanced flagship sedan in the market. When I personally attended its global reveal back in July (at the Audi Summit that took place in Barcelona), I knew that the new A8 was something unique. I made sure that I was exceptionally factual when I drove it.

Exterior design and body Sporty elegance, sophistication and progressive status – the exterior design of the Audi A8 marks the start of a new era for the entire brand. The front, with its broad, upright single frame grille, the flowing and muscular body design and the rear with its full-length light strip radiate a powerful presence – in the 5.17-meter long normal version as well as in the A8 L with its 13 centimeter longer wheelbase. The new A8 is 1.95 meters wide and 1.47 meters tall (1.49 meters in the case of the A8 L). The lighting is also state-of-the-art; especially in the top-of-the line version with HD Matrix LED headlights including Audi laser light and rear lamps with OLED technology.

Interior The interior of the A8 resembles a lavish, spacious lounge. Compared to the predecessor model, it has grown in length by 32 millimeters in both body versions. The interior has been deliberately reduced in form, and its architecture oriented strictly horizontally. In darkness, contour and ambient lighting elegantly outlines the striking design lines. New for the rear compartment are precisely controllable Matrix LED reading lights. The range of equipment and materials is extensive, with every detail radiating superlative bespoke quality – from the perforation in the seat upholstery to the electrically opening and closing decorative shutters on the air vents and the satiny leather of the comfort head restraints.

The most elegant place in the new Audi flagship is the rear right-hand seat – this is the optionally available relaxation seat in the A8 L and features many options for adjustment as well as a footrest on the backrest of the front passenger seat. Here, passengers can massage and warm the soles of their feet in several levels. Included in the relaxation seat package are a back massage feature, electrically height-adjustable comfort head restraints, footrests, a long center console and, as optional features, folding tables with two-stage adjustable inclination, four-zone automatic air conditioning, the Rear Seat Entertainment system comprising two Audi tablets, and the Rear Seat Remote. Rear seat passengers can use the touch control on this new operating unit to run numerous convenience and infotainment features as well as make discreet phone calls. The Rear Seat Remote with its OLED display is approximately as big as a smartphone and can be removed from where it is stored in the center armrest.

Infotainment system The A8 dispenses with the rotary/push-button control and touchpad of its predecessor – MMI touch becomes MMI touch response. At the center of the instrument panel is a 10.1-inch touchscreen display which, when off, blends almost invisibly into the high-gloss black surround due to its black-panel look. When the system is started, the user interface appears which features new, concise graphics. The menu structure is intuitive and flat, as with a modern smartphone. The user can freely arrange the icons according to their importance.

The driver controls the infotainment system on the large display. A second touchscreen display on the console of the center tunnel is used to operate the climate control and convenience features, as well as enter texts through handwriting recognition. When the driver activates a function in one of the two displays by touch control, they hear and feel a click by way of confirmation. This pulse is created by means of an electromagnet moving the spring-mounted display minimally to the side by roughly the width of a human hair. At the same time a small loudspeaker emits a click sound. Audi is opening up a new chapter in user experience here.

The A8 can also engage in intelligent conversation. The driver can activate an array of functions in the automobile using a new, natural form of voice control. Information on destinations and media is either available on board or is delivered from the cloud at LTE speed. The driver can freely formulate spoken commands – the voice recognition system understands such sentences in English as, “Please take me to H Hotel in Dubai.” The ingenious dialog manager asks questions if necessary, allows corrections, offers choices and also defers to the speaker when interrupted.

The greatly optimized navigation system of the new A8 is able to learn on the basis of routes that have already been driven, so that the system can thus make intelligent suggestions to the driver. The calculation is performed online on the servers of the map and navigation provider HERE, with real-time data concerning the overall traffic situation also being taken into account. Also included in the map view are detailed 3D models of many major cities in Europe.

Autonomous driving: Audi AI The new A8 is the world’s first production automobile to have been developed for conditional automation at level 3. On highways and multi-lane motorways with a physical barrier separating the two directions of traffic, the Audi AI traffic jam pilot handles driving in slow-moving traffic up to 60 km/h. The system handles starting from a stop, accelerating, steering and braking in its lane. If the driver has activated the traffic jam pilot at the AI button on the center console, they can take their foot off the accelerator and release the steering wheel. Unlike at level 2, they no longer need to monitor the car constantly and can focus on another activity supported by the onboard infotainment system (depending on the legal situation in the respective country). The driver must remain alert and capable of taking over the task of driving when the system prompts them to do so.

Introduction of the Audi AI traffic jam pilot requires both clarity regarding the legal parameters for each country, and specific adaptation and testing of the system. Moreover, varying worldwide homologation procedures and their deadlines must be observed. For these reasons, Audi will initiate series production of the traffic jam pilot in the new A8 incrementally, depending on the legal situation in the respective country.

The new Audi AI systems also include the Audi AI (remote) parking pilot and the Audi AI remote garage pilot. They make parking extremely convenient by autonomously driving the A8 into parallel or perpendicular parking spaces as well as garages and by driving the car back out. The driver monitors the maneuvering, but does not need to be sitting in the vehicle – both systems can be started using a smartphone featuring the new myAudi app. Alternatively, the driver can start the Audi AI parking pilot with the AI button in the center console if they are still at the wheel.

The foundation of these high-end systems is the central driver assistance controller, another top innovation from Audi. About the size of a tablet, it continually merges the data from the sensors into a differentiated model of the surroundings. In addition to the radar sensors, a front camera and the ultrasonic sensors, Audi is the first car manufacturer also to use a laser scanner. This data merger also benefits the driver assistance systems, in addition to the Audi AI systems. The new A8 has more than 40 such systems on board, including the new crossing assist that detects crossing vehicles. Each system makes use of the vehicle surroundings model and can operate more effectively as a result of this model’s high precision.

Chassis Dynamic all-wheel steering, Audi AI active suspension, electronic chassis platform – Audi has rethought every aspect of the chassis of its new flagship. Revolutionary technologies and control systems make it even more comfortable, sporty and safe. The dynamic all-wheel steering redefines the limits of the physically possible in allowing the steering angles at the front and rear axles to be set independently of one another. It combines nearly delay-free response and steering behavior with superior driving stability.

The second new technology, Audi AI active suspension, is a fully active electromechanical suspension system. It uses electric actuators to increase or decrease the load on each wheel individually as a function of the driver’s wishes and the driving situation for active and optimal control of the body. The characteristics range from the gentle rolling of a classical luxury sedan to the dynamics of a sports car. The Audi AI active suspension receives the signals for its regulating operation from the electronic chassis platform, the central control unit for the chassis that also manages the dynamic all-wheel steering, the sport differential and the air suspension system. The drive energy comes from the new 48-volt main electrical system.

On A8 vehicles equipped with the pre sense 360° system with central sensor data merger in the central driver assistance controller, the Audi AI active suspension also increases passive safety. In the event of an impending side impact at more than 25 km/h, the body is raised by up to 80 millimeters within half a second. As a result, the other party of the accident collides with a more resistant zone of the sedan. Deformation of the cabin and the loads acting on the occupants, above all in the chest and abdominal areas, can thus be reduced by up to 50 percent compared with a lateral collision in which the suspension is not raised.

Powertrain The new A8 will be launched in the Middle East market with an extensively re-engineered V6 turbo engine: 3.0 TFSI, the A8 55 TFSI (combined fuel consumption in L/100 km: 7.8 – 7.5; combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 178 – 171). The engine operates in conjunction with a fast and gently shifting eight-speed Tiptronic gearbox. The latter combines an rpm-adaptive torsion damper allowing low engine speeds, as well as a new electrical oil pump for changing gears while coasting. The quattro permanent all-wheel drive system with self-locking center differential is standard and, in the case of all MHEV model variants, it can be supplemented by the optional sport differential. It actively distributes the drive torque between the rear wheels depending on where it is needed, for even sportier driving and more stable handling.

The new Audi A8 and the A8 L are built in Neckarsulm, and deliveries to the Middle East markets are due to begin by March 2018. The base price for the sedan with normal wheelbase is €90,600, with the A8 L starting at €94,100. Middle East pricing will be confirmed in January 20, 2018.

Verdict After the first drive, I found the A8 to be much more engaging to drive versus the other big German rivals. As for the A8, we all expected luxury seats, infotainment system, power, gadgets, and looks, but this isn’t the real show in the luxury sedan game. We live in a world where technology has obscured mechanical engineering. In terms of looks, Audi didn’t put in some serious effort, right? But believe it or not, the 2018 Audi A8 is quite possibly the most technologically advanced vehicle for the time being. Welcome to future land!